Guilds
The guilds in Meriga are tight-knit organizations of skilled laborers and professionals, analogous in many ways to medieval guilds. Most guilds are composed of "misters" (i.e. masters), "prentices" (apprentices), and "senior prentices" (similar to journeymen). It is stated in Star's Reach that the ruinman guild has no formal controlling central authority, i.e. no individual or group above the rank of mister who sets guild policy as a whole. Presumably most of the other guilds are the same in that respect. Several of the guilds are traditionally made to locate their guildhalls outside the walls of their host cities due to their lowly status in society. When this is the case, it is usually because the work the guilds do may expose them to toxins on a regular basis. The fear of toxins causing sterility or birth defects is prevalent in Merigan culture and influences many of their cultural practices. Ruinmen Ruinmen break down the remains of ruined structures left over from the Old World, seeking valuable metal and other usable material to salvage, and the occasional document or artifact that might be of interest to scholars. Due to the danger of exposure to lingering toxic chemicals or radiation from the Old World, ruinmen are looked down on by many, and traditionally must locate their guildhalls outside the city walls. Ruinmen wear distinctive leather outfits ("ruinman leathers") and carry the tools of their trade-- especially pry bars-- at all times. Their tools can double as weapons, and ruinmen are proficient in using them in that way. The overwhelming majority of of ruinmen are men (or tweens). Because the narrator of Star's Reach was a ruinman who spoke extensively about their customs and practices, there is more canonical information available about them than any other guild. Scholars Scholars do research and other scholarly work at the Versty (university) at Melumi. All or nearly all scholars are women. The scholars' guild is organized somewhat differently than other guilds. Among other things, there is a hard limit on the number of "chairs" (analogous to "misters") that can exist. If there are more scholars-in-training than chair positions available, the unneeded ones are cast away to become "failed scholars". Failed scholars in some cases can support themselves doing freelance scholarly work, e.g. appraising historical documents in the field for the ruinmen, but more typically must find work doing something else entirely due to lack of demand for their skill set. Rememberers The Guild of Rememberers is somewhat unique-- more of a secret society than a trade guild. The Rememberers maintain secret libraries of books and other documents from the Old World for study and occasional re-release to the broader public. The Rememberers are organized into five sub-orders based on the Tarot: Swords, Wands, Cups, Shields, and Cords, each with a specific area of responsibility, e.g. Wands study the old books; Swords defend the guild and its resources when necessary. Cords seem to be the administrative arm, "tying the other four circles together". Several characters in Star's Reach were affiliated with the Rememberers, but because they are so secretive, not much else is known about their day-to-day operations. Radiomen Radiomen build, maintain, and operate radio equipment. They handle the broadcasting of both private message traffic and public broadcasts, e.g. news. Not much is said about the radiomen guild per se in Star's Reach except that they are allowed to build their guildhalls within the walls of the cities, indicating they are somewhat prestigious. Burners Burners are tasked with burning the remains of dead people. Not much else is said about them in Star's Reach other than that they must locate their guildhalls outside the walls, indicating that their profession is not considered prestigious, presumably due to the risk of exposure to harmful smoke in the course of their work. Chemists Chemists, as the name implies, work with chemicals to make useful products. Star's Reach mentions that they make strips used to test for natural gas, and also that they will be the ones to produce Cetan solar-power globes in the future. It can be assumed from this they can make a wide range of other things also (medicine? dyes?), but these are not delved into in canon. Not much else is said about them in Star's Reach other than that they must locate their guildhalls outside the walls, indicating that their profession is not considered prestigious, presumably due to the risk of chemical exposure in their work. Lumbermen Lumbermen cut down trees for wood under the very close scrutiny and regulation of the Priestesses. In Star's Reach, lumbermen had to be called to clear away the trees for the Wanrij dig. They seem to be viewed with mistrust as a necessary evil. Doctors Doctors are mentioned briefly as a guild in Star's Reach. Blacksmiths Blacksmiths are mentioned briefly as a guild in Star's Reach. Gunsmiths Gunsmiths are mentioned briefly as a guild in Star's Reach. Glassblowers Glassblowers are mentioned briefly as a guild in Star's Reach. =